MSF's publications are an expression of our belief in the principle of témoignage, or bearing witness, and the belief that we are accountable to those we work for and with. Sharing news about our activities and reflecting on them, offering critiques when necessary, are therefore crucial aspects of our work.

What began in 2011 in Syria as protests inspired by the Arab Spring has become an entrenched and bloody conflict that shows no sign of resolution. Today, with an estimated 200,000 people killed and 7.6 million people displaced within the country and 3.2 million refugees registered outside, Syria is seen as the world’s most grave humanitarian disaster. In the face of this crisis, the previously functioning health system has collapsed and scores of thousands of medical staff have fled.

Iraq experienced a dramatic surge in violence in 2014 that triggered successive large-scale waves of displacement. More than 2.6 million people are said to have fled war-torn the central and northern areas of Iraq, particularly Al-Anbar, Ninawa, Salah Al-Din, Kirkuk and Diyala governorates.

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) runs the only facility that specializes in treating patients with severe burns in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Five-year old Manette was badly burned over four months ago in a fire at her father’s workshop and has been slowly recovering.

Five years have passed since a devastating earthquake shook Haiti, affecting approximately 3 million people and killing 220,000, according to government estimates. What is the situation in Haiti now after five years of reconstruction efforts, and what health care services does Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) still provide in the country? MSF’s Haiti Country Director Oliver Schulz discusses:

After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, MSF launched its largest-ever emergency intervention, hiring thousands of new staff, treating more than 350,000 patients in the 10 months that followed, then treating hundreds of thousands more during a massive cholera outbreak.

In Port-au-Prince, MSF teams are running trauma surgery and burn treatment services in Drouillard neighborhood; surgical and orthopedic care in Nap Kembe hospital in Tabarre; a stabilization center in Martissant neighborhood, and an emergency obstetrics program in Delmas 33.